Spring Arbor College

Spring Arbor University

Motto	Fides, Vivens, Discens (Latin)
Motto in English	Faith, Living, Learning
Type	Private
Established	1873
Religious affiliation	Free Methodist Church
Endowment	$13.3 million (American)
President	Brent Ellis
Undergraduates	2,940
Location	Spring Arbor, Michigan, United States
Campus	Rural
Athletics	NAIA – Crossroads League NCCAA
Mascot	Cougars
Website	http://www.arbor.edu

Spring Arbor University (SAU) is a Christian institution of higher education located in Spring Arbor, Michigan, in the United States. SAU is affiliated with the Free Methodist Church. It is the second-largest Evangelical Christian University in the state of Michigan. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

Spring Arbor University was founded in 1873 by leaders of the Free Methodist Church, particularly Edward Payson Hart, who was the driving force behind the establishment of Spring Arbor Seminary — an academy for elementary and secondary grades. Located near the site of a former Pottawatomi Indian village, the academy was built on property that once belonged to Hillsdale College.

In 1923, the board of trustees voted to add a junior college to the academy. In 1929, the school came to be called Spring Arbor Seminary and Junior College. Primary and intermediate classes were discontinued in 1930. In 1960, the school gained accreditation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and the trustees changed the name of the institution to Spring Arbor College. The high school program was dropped, and Spring Arbor launched its four-year program in 1963.

In 1981, Spring Arbor began offering the first of its degree completion programs for adult learners in nearby Jackson. The college later developed degrees in health-related fields and opened sites in Lansing, Michigan and Flint, Michigan. Graduate education began at Spring Arbor in 1994. In 2001, the school changed its name to Spring Arbor University.

SAU offers over 70 majors and programs at the undergraduate level at its main campus in Spring Arbor, Michigan. Teacher certification at the elementary level is offered in a 2+2 format at North Central Michigan College in Petoskey, Michigan, Great Lakes Christian College in Lansing, Michigan and Jackson Community College.